Scholarships in Honor of Late Teen Zoe Inciong to Be Awarded at Luncheon

The family of late teen Zoe Inciong will award six scholarships in her honor during the New Haven Schools Foundation’s annual scholarship luncheon Friday. 

Zoe, a courageous James Logan High School student who rallied the community in raising cancer awareness, passed away on July 5, 2012, shortly after her 16th birthday following a long fight with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.

According to Maria Inciong, Zoe’s mother, the family will award two Zoe Means Life scholarships, one for $1,000 and another $500, along with four Zoe Inciong Memorial Scholarships for $500 each.

The Zoe Inciong Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to graduating scholar athletes. Zoe herself was a talented athlete who played on the basketball and water polo teams at Logan.

The Zoe Means Life Scholarship will be awarded to students who face medical challenges. One of Zoe’s wishes before her passing was to help students in similar situations as her, Maria Inciong said.

The scholarship funds come from community donations and fundraisers, such as recent zumba and basketball events. 

Zoe’s family says the scholarships will keep her memory alive.

“We find comfort knowing that her life means something, and that her spirit continues to live on,” Maria Inciong told Patch in a previous interview.

The awards are just some of many being distributed Friday during the NHSF scholarship luncheon.

According to the school officials, more than 80 scholarships worth nearly $70,000 will be awarded to Logan and Conley-Caraballo seniors.

Union City Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci and Assemblymember Bill Quirk will present the scholarships. Special guests will include state treasurer Bill Lockyer and former Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants pitcher Vida Blue. The legendary pitcher was a six-time all-star and award-winning athlete who won 209 games in 17 seasons in the MLB.

The luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the Hilton Newark-Fremont, located at 39900 Balentine Dr.